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Flounder

Flounder by Paul Naylor

European flounder

Able to camouflage itself to its surroundings, the European flounder is one of our many amazing flatfish!

Scientific name

Platichthys flesus

When to see

January - December.

Species information

Statistics

Up to 50cm long.
Least Concern on the IUCN Red List of Endangered Species.

About

Often found in coastal waters, including estuaries and sometimes freshwater, the European flounder is one of our many native flatfish! This flounder is able to camouflage its upper body to match the surrounding background.

How to identify

Oval shaped flatfish, which can grow up to 50cm long, with a small mouth, pointed snout and square cut tail. Colour varies from a dull brown to a greenish grey, with a white underside. It is usually right-eyed and its eyes lie to the right of the mouth. However this is not always the case which makes identification more difficult!

Distribution

Common around all British and Irish coasts.

Did you know?

Hybrid individuals have been known to occur through interbreeding between flounder and plaice!